60-year-old man was also killed. without an official cause, experts can only make an educated guess as to what happened. >> in our world of nascar racing, a lot of things with throttle could get hung up. something like that could hold the throttle wide open. >> the uncle, and father of chase issued this statement. there are no words to express our sorrow. our family has been racing for four generations and loves the sport that has now brought us so much pain, end quote. chase johnson is a senior at petaluma high school and won last year ace sprint car championship. what's happening today? autopsies are going to be conducted an marcus and the other victim. coming up at 5:30, we'll talk more about why marcus wa was in the pit in the first place. he was not an official member of his cousin's crew. >> tragic story all the way around. a motorcycle rider was killed in a multi-car crash on

interstate 680 near walnut creek. this happened around 6:00 p.m. just south of rutgers road. a nissan 360 z bursed into flames. a witness says the motorcycle and another car were driving recklessly before the accident. they are urging anybody to see this to contact the chp. a vallejo shop will be out of business for a while have a pickup truck crashed through its front door. it happened yesterday athe thrift store on sonoma boulevard. more than 40 people inside when the truck barreled through the door and into a check-out station. four people, including the driver, were hurt. three of them had to be take tonight hospital. investigators are still trying to figure out how the driver lost control of the truck. police releasing a sketch of

a suspect wanted for an attempted kidnapping. investigators say the man allegedly tried to kidnap a 12-year-old girl as she was walking home from school. the suspect offered her a ride. when she refused, he grabbed her. the girl was able to escape and they ran home. police say the suspect is a white man in his 20s, about six feet tall with a thin build. he was seen driving a silver, four-door vehicle. higher standards may be put in place for drop-in daycare centers. a bill wants to assure children are properly cared for. the bill requires the facility to be licensed and have health care in place. staff over 18 must have background checks and no more than 15 children to each care provider the oakland police department is working on a new way to fight crime. the department will talk about a plan to redistrict switching

from the current format of two police districts to one which would be made up of five smaller once. the first would be in east oakland and should be in place by this saturday. each district would be managed by two police captains who would be responsible for community outreach and officer deployment. they both would report to chief howard jordan. the department feels this is the best way to deal with crime considering its limited number of officers. >> all right. limited chance to enjoy the 70-degree temperatures. >> small window. >> is that the only window for today? >> we will see it open up the end of the week but not before much-needed rain. thanks for waking up with us, specially on a post st. paddy's day monday. we don't have any thick fog to slow you down. the winds aren't gusting just yet but they will pick up. 43 degrees in river more. 46, san jose. overall, not that bad. it is not going to bite you when you walk out the front door.

by noon, you are already peeling off a layer. 61 degrees as you break for lunch in fremont. upper, mid-60s along the bay and the coast at lunchtime. today, round out the bay, highs, 4:00 p.m. 70 degrees on the way for gilroy. 67 in redwood city, 65. not too shabby in san francisco. we are going to bring the 50s in the mix. with that rain, i'll time it out for you. your seven-day is read dy to go. >> you should go before you leave in the car. that's what i always can tell my kids. we are looking over here toward fremont where traffic flows very nicely for 880 past those truck scales and tesla in the southbound direction with the head lights. it is just starting to build just gently. we will look at the maps. we have the dunbar ton bridge as you are coming over from dakota. overnight, the chp did issue a wind advisory for one point. they have cleared it now.

the winds will develop later this afternoon. no big concern for the dumbo or the san mateo bridge. that's 92 right above it. moving to the bay bridge, a smooth drive on the approach. the maze and east shore freeway, you have to pause as you are paying cash. mass transit, no major delays or problems. m muni, rails and bus line, moving smoothly, b.a.r.t. caltrans, closure for north 880. that will happen this friday. the b.a.r.t. status just fine. we do have changes, though, kristy. christie smith is out there. we have some changes. they are trying to make traffic better. it is going to get congested on b.a.r.t. trains. what do you have? >> reporter: good morning to you, mike. something to get used to. this is the second time of expanded bicycle access on b.a.r.t. this year.

when the gates opened, the bicyclist were here, lined up. this is about the time when they would want to get on b.a.r.t. this he like this idea b.a.r.t. is putting out there. they are telling us they also have some ideas of their own to improve the system. this test is going to run the entire week monday through friday. bicycles are banned during the commute hours, morning and evening. under this test, bikes are still not allowed in the front three cars between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. i spoke with one regular bike rider who said it is a good start but could be better. >> this is great. i like it. i wish what they need is a separate car for all bikes. >> reporter: why is that? >> just get your bike and go and

you don't have to deal with the other passengers. >> reporter: the bikes can't be on the first car of the train for safety reasons. that's at all times. if this is successful, b.a.r.t. staff may go back to the board to look at permanent changes to their bicycle pol sichlt coming up later, we are going to speak with one of their directors and we will ask that question about having that solo car for it, bicycles alone. reporting live in oakland, christie smith, "today in the bay." 5:9. major change of direction in downtown hayward literally. foothill and mission boulevard is now one-way streets and traffic will flow in a loop in the often congested five-flag area of hayward. that's from jackson street to mission boulevard to "a" street and football boulevard. they put up cones friday night redirecting traffic. the work was supposed to be completed in time for the morning commute. it is the most important part of

the 238 corridor improvement project. they are reducing traffic for people who drive through hayward. hopefully, not a lot of confusion. it is 5:10 right now. the bay area tech leader is eyeing the top spot. >> larry elson, to pay for the costly american cup.

welcome back. live from vatican city. pope francis newly installed is now trying to find a meeting with the cardinals. they move forward as the catholic church trying to get a handle on where they go next. dealing with heavy issues. the wall street journal china bureau under investigation for allegedly bribing chinese

officials for information. the justice department says it received tibs from a whistle blower saying government employees gave gifts to chinese officials in exchange for chinese news. it is owned by news corp, the phone company found guilty of phone hacking and bribery in the u.k. they found no evidence to support the accusations and the company claims the informant is acting on behalf of the chinese government to attack the paper. 5:13. toyota is recalling more than 200,000 sj cruisers. the driver and front seat passenger belts can become loose at the door panel is cracked. seatbelts are designed differently than most cars. toyota says there have been no injuries caused by the defect. owners will be notified by mail and repairs will be free of charge. >> if you monitor your kids on

facebook, a new report says, that's so 2009. research shows kids have stopped posting on facebook and are now posting on instagram and nap chat. many apps allow them to post without texting limits or being monitored by parents. facebook frequenters that don't have the chance to monitor this, some don't require users to have a smart phone. it can be activated through devices like the ipod touch and kindle fire as long as there is a wireless connection. beware. over 1300 signatures have been collected to billionaire larry ellison to help care for the american race. the city is short on the fundraising goal to cover the costs. an online petition has been created to urge him to help fund the event. it is calling on him to pay the

difference between the city's shortcomings so it doesn't have to tap into the city's tax income. there may be another billionaire eyeing michael bloomberg's mayoral seat. twitter co-founder, jack dorsey, says he wants to be mayor of new york city one day. dorsey telling 60 minutes he is very serious about moving to the big apple one day and running for mayor. he is known for his mobile payment start-up, square. he is ranked number 392 on the forbes 400 wealthiest american's list. that is pretty high praise. bloomberg, the current mayor is listed as number 10. >> pretty interesting interview. it is 5:15. when it comes to irish whiskey, not just st. patrick's day is good luck tore the whiskey maker. we turn to seema mody. good morning, laura. futures are lower after the eu announced a bailout for cypress.

the dow snapping its ten-day winning streak on friday. it looks like we will fall lower on european worries particularly on cypress. we get new information on the national home beuilders association. the dow falling and the nasdaq down 10 points. st. patrick's day revelers are ditching the green beer and reaching for whiskey, up 400% since 2002 and increased more than 22% in the past year alone, making it the fastest growing category in the american market. back to you. >> thanks so much, seema. it is 5:16. let's check back in with meteorologist, christina loren. soak it up while you can and get ready to bring out the umbrella. >> soak up the sun. we bring up the rain tomorrow morning. it looks like we could pick up an inch of fresh rain in the north bay. more like a quarter to a half inch everywhere south. we are going to be watching that for you. overall today looks good.

you still have time to take care of any sort of outdoor activities, anything you may have left outside as well that you need to bring in, get it done today, because the rain comes in tomorrow. 46 at san jose, 41, gilroy. we take you along the peninsula where temperatures aren't that frigid to start. you will need your jacket up in the north bay. it will warm up nicely. you will hit the 70s later on today in most of your interior valleys. 1:00 p.m., the clouds start to increase. by 5:00 p.m., most cloudy witness will hold off on the rain. up in the north bay, we stop the clock. 3:00 p.m. showers starting to push in from san jose to novado. overnight, mostly somehowry conditions. a lot of this rainfall will come down while you are sleeping on tuesday night getting into your wednesday. things start to change. we'll clear you out by the second half of the day but not after picking up maybe an inch in the north bay. half an inch is expected in the east bay, tri valley region. south, a quarter to a half.

tahoe could be taking up a foot, one foot fresh powder on the way to tahoe. that's good news. 70, livermore. 68 in fremont. we head through the end of the week, it is going to take a while before we are able to hit the upper 70s again. that will come back into the mix on monday next week. it is funny how rain conditions arrive. two more days of winter left. get them while you can. >> not supposed to have them until april. april showers. watch for that as well. we look over here toward the city. a smooth drive to and from the city. we have one issue getting out of the city. that's the lower deck. it sounds like there was a fender-bender there. it is out of the lanes. meanwhile, a live look across the bay bridge. we will look from the emeryville camera. look at how light the traffic flow is towards treasure island. as this picture freezes, camera

shy. we will show you the map getting over the other side of the bay, a smooth drive. 880 through the area past the coliseum, a few more flashing lights headed north. still more road crews reported there as you are approaching the area north of high street and into downtown. no slowing. you might lose a day or twochlt t . we are looking at highway 84, a little slowing as you are cutting down through livermore and pleasanton into the south bay. palo alto, quick look. 101. no issues here. back to you. breaking news now out of florida this morning where police are investigating a suspicious death and explosive device found at the university of central florida's main campus. early this morning, police received a call about a man with a gun in one of the dorms. when they got there, they found a man dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. inside that room, they found a

handgun, assault weapons and ieds. the dorm has since then been evacuated and the school is closed for at least this morning. we will update you if anything changes in this situation. >> we are still waiting for the final arrest numbers for this weekend st. patrick's day celebration. they increased patrols trying to keep drunk drivers off the road. the crackdown included special patrols and dui check points. some people telling is drinking is, of course, very much a part of that holiday. it does come with an obligation to drink responsibly. those caught driving under the influence face jail fines and court fines up to $1800. they could also possibly lose their driver's license. >> lindsay lohan is back in court this time for lying about

a car crash last june. she is scheduled to go on trial in los angeles today. she is charged with three misdemeanors, reckless driving and lying to police and obstructing a police officer. police say she told him she was a passenger in the car when actually, she was the driver. prosecutors have offered her rehab and house arrest, both of which she refused. she says she will plead not guilty. the san francisco symphony canceling more concerts, all part of an ongoing strike between musicians and management over contract talks. also being canceled is a three-day tour of the east coast. includes a performance at carnegie hall. there are no plans at this point to rescheduled any shows that were lost since picket lines went up last week if you happen to buy any tickets for canceled concerts, we're being told you can exchange them for an upcoming event or you can receive a refund. 5:21. new details about the falcon

that nests on top of san jose city hall. pretty interesting site at a weekend hockey game. never seen this before. a puck snaps right in half. the question is, does the goal count? we have the answer coming up.

>> good morning morn. 5:24. residents fascinated by clara the falcon, who has returned to nest over san jose city hall. this time with a new mate. her fourth since 2006. an unusual act for falcons. they normally mate for life. clara and her new mate, fernando, have produced four eggs which are expected to hatch later this month. she has produced 31 offspring up until now. here is something you will not see every day.

a puck in a hockey game snaps right in half during the game. you have to see this one to believe it. it happened in the league during a saturday playoff game. the players used the puck and bang it off the post. it snaps in half. the other half is stopped by the goaltender. as you can see, it goes right into the knelt. the league officials today have never seen anything like this before. after a lot of discussion, the video referee decided the goal would not count, because only half the puck was in the net. that makes sense, right? that puck snapped on -- it actually snapped there as you can see. the team, however, was lucky. they actually won the goal. they won the team. they didn't get the goal but they go on to win anyways. kind of a cool, freak remembrance. >> that is crazy. sometimes those things move at 100 miles an hour. they are kind of cold. >> you don't want to get in the way of that, that's for sure. colder temperatures headed our way. i think we need to enjoy today. right, christina? we have a beautiful day

shaping up. thanks for waking up with us. even on a monday, it is hard. you are with us. so you are doing the right thing. 71, inland. bayside, 68. breeze is going to pick up. rain on the way. we need it at this point. i'll let you know how much snow we are expecting in tahoe and who is going to get the most rain in the bay area. that's coming up. 5:26. want to get you out the front door and on time. the on time is your responsibility. we have enough trouble at our house. smooth drive for traffic. you won't be delayed in your route through fremont. 880, pretty smooth. no problems past the dunbar ton or the san mateo brinl. let's look at this side, westbound with the headlights, a smooth and easy drive. no delays on either side of the bay. we will take you across the bay bridge as well. that's starting a little slowing as the volume starts to build. slowing way out in antioch. the first spot to show you is typical from highway 4 to

hillcrest. 5:27. we can tell you about a bizarre carjacking that leads to a crash with a sfraen with a san francisco fire truck. new plans to help you park in the normally crowded downtown palo alto area. in vatican city this morning, pope francis getting ready for his installation mass in rome. hundreds of thousands expected to pack st. peter's square to see it. leaders from all over the globe expected including vice president, joe biden. he is already in town.

two families in the north bay struggling to come to grips with a tragic race car accident. a 14-year-old boy is killed when his cousin's car slams into him. a memorial is growing. facing the music, a disgraced south bay politician getting ready to answer the charges he misused public funds we've got a good-looking monday but, yeah, last day of

winter. potent storm on the way. go figure. we have a lot of rain headed your way. we'll let you know when you will need your umbrella and when the worst part of that storm is slated to hit your city. last day of winter, first day of the workweek. here is the start of the backup at the toll plaza. we have an eye on your bay crossings coming up. let's take a live look outside. you made it to monday morning, the start of a new workweek. the commute, as i mentioned, this is "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." good morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia cannon. i'm jon kelley. a memorial is growing for a 14-year-old santa rosa boy killed at a raceway north of sacramento. he was watching his 17-year-old cousin warm up for a car race when that car lost control and crashed right in the pit where the young man was standing. marla tallez joins us in the

newsroom. we are hearing that the entire family was involved in racing, correct? >> yes, jon, the family has been racing for four generations. it is not like chase johnson, the 17-year-old driver, was a rookie. we have some point of view video of him racing last year in petaluma, which is where he goes to high school. today, he has won 140 races and last year's sprint car championship, coincidentally, the same race he was warming up for over the weekend when something went terribly wrong. he lost control and his car slammed into the pit crew where his 14-year-old cousin, marcus johnson, was standing. marcus was killed and so was another man, a 68-year-old from grass valley. today, investigators are looking into why marcus was in the pit in the first place, because he was not part of his cousin's official pit crew. his father says he was simply there to help. the accident rs a reminder of how dangerous this sport is. >> to be in the pits itself, you have to sign a waiver saying that whatever happens here, this

track is not liable for. this morning, a memorial is growing for 14-year-old marcus johnson in santa rosa which is where he is from. you can see the flowers and candles outside the buff lettmup his family owns. the official cause of the crash, officials are spending today to find it out. vallejo police searching for a gunman that shot and killed an elderly man. police found the victim at a home on hichborn street in river park. his identity is being held until his family is notified. they have not given out any details on a suspect or a motive. chp officers looking for a suspected car thief that rammed a stolen car right into a fire truck in san francisco. officers says the suspect, 24-year-old jeremiah dickerson, hit that fire truck at post street near van ness at 7:00.

he was riding with a woman in the car on 101 in marin county when he got angry and started punching her. the woman got out of the car and dickerson sped off continuing into san francisco where he ultimately hit that fire truck. he then ditched the car and ran away. >> this afternoon, former santa clara county supervisor, george shirakawa is expected to plead guilty on charges he misused campaign funds. he faces five felony charges and seven misdemeanors for misusing public funds and lying to investigators. prosecutors say he spent the money on everything from parties to gambling to government trips. if found guilty, he could spend up to a year in jail and be fined $50,000. a special election has been set to fill his vacant seat, rather. that will happen in june. >> the man accused of stealing a luxury yacht and going for a joyride will be returning to

court today for a preliminary hearing. leslie gardner has pleaded not guilty to charges of grand theft receiving stolen property and vandalism. prosecutors say he stole the 82-foot sailboat, darling, and ended up taking it to pacifica where authorities caught on him. he is being held in the san mateo jail on $1 million jail a south bay hardware store could be coming down in the near future. the orchard supply hardware on san carlos street was built in 1936. it is the oldest star in the chain still in operation. the company wants to tear it down and build a new store. a community haring is to be held to discuss the plans. the lot where the hardware store now stands was once the site of

soldarity park that hosted an exhibition game that includes the likes of babe ruth, lou gehrig and lefty o'doole. the city council looking for a solution for the city's parking problems. residents say parking has reached a saturation point and things are about to get worse as a new downtown development continues. according to park and enforcements, the palo alto city council will start looking at several different proposals, including more spots for permanent holders at two city garages. it will also consider a valet program at another garage putting parking restrictions in a residential neighborhood. in an effort to make b.a.r.t. trains more bike friendly, they will extend the time bicycles are allowed on

train trains. christie smith live at the b.a.r.t. station. >> reporter: for a lot it is a no-brainer. let the bicycles on the train. for b.a.r.t., it is not that easy. there are a lot of variables. this is the second time they are running a test to study expanded bicycle access during the morning and evening commute. they are allowing bicycles on. they are doing something a little bit different based on what they learned the first time. the first three cars will be bike-free during the commute. commuters that don't want to share the train with bicycles don't have to. the first test is in august of last year on fridays, when the bike blackout was lifted during the commute. this is a second test, all week, all day with some restrictions. cyclists are asked not to use the first three cars during the morning rush. we asked a commuter how he will feel about sharing the space.

>> reporter: it wouldn't bother you to have a bike right next to you? >> no. i normally ride a bicycle but it is too cold right now. that would be wonderful. i think so. >> reporter: cyclists are also asked not to use the very first car for safety reasons. feedback is important with the survey available at bart.gov/bikes. they may go to the board to look at permanent changes. reporting life in oakland, christie smith, "today in the bay." let's take a look at the morning commute with mike. the pilot for this week. everybody behave yourselves and if it goes well, we will extend the service. b.a.r.t. has no delays reported on our maps. we will look at the b.a.r.t. status as well as muni and vta. a reminder if you missed that report, there will be more

b.a.r.t. cars with bikes on them throughout the day. keep that in mind. we will allow for the adjustments. meanwhile, the roadways are moving smoothly. we do have west 580. your direction, reports of a new fender-bender. oakland, a live look at 880 snows a smooth drive. a lot more company over the last 20 minutes. no delays across the bay, a smooth drive and a build at the toll plaza. the forecast only showing pretty much the pavement. >> but it really looked good, specially the way you described it as well. good morning to you. >> a good-looking day. you can see the pavement. the fog isn't that thick. we are starting off really good in that department. we don't have any winds that are significant enough to knock you around. those will develop later on today. mostly between about 3:00 and 6:00, as an area of low pressure tracks closer and closer to the bay area. we need it at this point. we will take whatever we can drop in the bucket.

70 for livermore, 70 to gilroy. 80, we will get close towards the end of next week. we are not going to hit the 80s. perfect. not too hot, not too cold. cutting out the showers in your neighborhood. coming up in the next report, i will send it back to you. john and laura. 5:39 right now. sequester cuts mean some area closures as early as today. we will let you see what could be on the chopping block coming up. what investigators are saying happened seconds before a private plane crashed into a very busy neighborhood. right now, we take you back live one more time to rome and vatican city. we are planning to go live in a matter of moments coming up with the plans for pope francis and his official inauguration. stay tuned.

final word on the faa on which towers could be closing. the closures are in response to the sequester cuts from the government. control towers in napa, concord, livermore, stockton and santa rosa are on the list of possible closure. "today in the bay's" danielle leigh is live on capitol hill where there are moves to give departments a little more leeway on those big cuts. danielle, good morning. jon, good morning. the senate is expected to vote on a temporary budget to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year. as part of that, there could be some relief. they are implementing across the board spending cuts as a result of the sequester. parts of the bill could give

them more power. they have to go through about 100 amendments the senate tacked on to the bill. it was much simpler when it was passed by the house. it will have to go back to the house for approval. john boehner is waiting to see how it will pan out. they have to pass a temporary budget. once they are passed, they have to focus on that next year's budget. they are hoping to get a big deal here to address the deficit. last year, the house and senate put out opposing plans. the good news is that both sides seem ready to work toward a path to compromise. just what that path is is not clear. the president won't be involved in very many budget talks. he is traveling to israel for the first time as president. he is going to work on his relations with prime minister, benjamin netanyahu.

republicans are returning reenergized after wrapping up their conservative political action. who they could be looking for a 2016 presidential run. senator rand paul followed by senator marco rubio were on top. we are going to get you updated when it comes to the forecast. enjoy today. don't wash the car. >> don't go doing anything crazy like that. >> wash both your cars. >> i well get my sham would you out for you. 42, napa, 45, san francisco. 37 degrees in novato. temperatures mostly in the upper 40s. mid-40s in sunnyvale and 45 there and 40 to start in san mateo. grab your allergy medicine if you still suffer from the allergies of the season. what i can tell you is rain on

the way is very good news for you. it is going to lay down all the pollen flying around the bay area. we are going to see it drop significantly. we will talk about that right now. take you through your day in detail. cloudy conditions are going to develop between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. mostly cloudy. the rain holds off until about 3:00 p.m. showers start to move into the bay. getting into tomorrow. 5:00 a.m., we meet back here. showers will continue throughout the day wednesday. then, we'll start to get a break overnight wednesday into thursday morning. we need the rain. potentially picking up an inch in the north bay. it is kind of hard to tell whether or not we are going to see a subtropical moisture tap. we are going to see a lot more moisture than what we are right now expecting. we are going to keep you updated. i'm all over it. 67 degrees for redwood city. a little time on your seven-day outlook. show you when the rain comes in tuesday. showers late. you will probably get some

activities done in the morning if you want to go for a run, by wednesday, a washout day. the sun comes back out thursday to friday. good air quality. beautiful sunny day to the weekend. let's check the drive. good morning, mike. folks, good morning over here. westbound 580, we see some slowing. the earlier crash i told you about at the on ramp. an issue. that on ramp still open and 580, the flow is not affected. we see a gentle build as we are coming down livermore. pleasanton. if you are cutting over through 680, keep that in mind. down into the south bay, easy drive. northbound 101, we have slowing coming up. that's about it for the south bay. we'll look at the peninsula. a quick check for palo alto. northbound 101 starts to pick up the volume past university. a smooth drive through san mateo and up into san francisco. san mateo bridge over from the east bay. a live look out here. the westbound commute. smooth drive, flat sections over

the high-rise. no incidents for either direction. a smooth drive on the hayward side as well. we are picking up the volume. look over towards the maze approaching the bay bridge. eastbound showing some slowing as you are coming over from 580. we'll track that. no crashes, guys. back to you. it is 5:47. tomorrow pope francis will be inaugurated and leaders from all over the world are in vatican city to attend the ceremony. "today in the bay's" jay gray joins us live outside st. pete ter r's basilica. >> reporter: more than 100 leading contingents here including for the united states vice president joe biden, who arrived in italy yesterday along with the american contingent that will be a part of the

inaugural mass and saceremony a celebration. he is joining with other leaders from around the world to celebrate the election of the new pope here. this comes after yesterday's first angeles from pope francis or sunday prayer and blessing with the crowd. he showed his same casual style during that blessing, joking with the crowd before praying and blessing them and telling them when it is all over, enjoy your afternoon, enjoy a good lunch. he is really reaching out to people across the globe. a lot of people expecting him to bring change to the catholic church, of course. a lot of reform necessary after in-fighting and scandals have plagued the vatican over the last several years. he has said he will be a reformer. there have been no indications yet about what he may do to some of the upper leadership and the officials that surround him here at the vatican. they are all -- have been told at this point that they can maintain their jobs while he studies and reflects and decides

where he will go next. tomorrow's inauguration mass expected to last more than three hours. the homily, a lot looking to to see if there are hints about what the pope plans to do or changes concerned with the catholic church. preparations through the rain for tomorrow, what should be a major historic event. laura, back to you now. >> once again, we will witness history. thank you very much, jay. we have new details on something you might see in a james bond or a diehard movie. this is a real life. a daring escape from canadian prison. authorities say they have captured two inmates who escaped by climbing up a rope that was dangling in from a helicopter hovering above the prison. they were outside yesterday afternoon when the helicopter came buzzing in, dropped down a rope. the men grabbed the rope. the helicopter took off carrying the men right out of the prison.

one of those escapees and two other people were arrested hours later. the second escapee, he just turned himself in. police say the chopper pilot may not have been fully aware of exactly what was going on but had to be kind of strange to him. they were calling him a very important witness. they say that that driver, the helicopter driver, is being treated at the hospital for shock. >> at least two people are dead after a small plane crashed into three houses in northern indiana. parts of the plane actually lodged in one of the homes. the federal aviation administration says there are four people on board, two killed, two others hurt. the local fire chief says one person was found injured inside of one of the damaged homes. jet fuel also leaked into the house posing a big hazard. >> as far as everyone in the plane, they have been accounted for. two of the residents, we are still searching and making sure

we haven't missed anyone. >> the pilot radioed for help citing electrical problems. the private plane took off from tulsa and was due to land at the the south bend regional airport. >> this is 5:51. it is march madness. ncaa tournament set to start. a couple of teams have a shot at the national title. we will bring you all the details next. stanford also bringing in the cleanup hitter. we can tell you what's behind the new nickname for the former secretary of state? hey! did you know that honey nut cheerios

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cre searchers using social media to create better tornado warnings, to try and track the big-time twisters. researchers hoping the database of 900 items can help predict where tornado debris will be falling. some of the longest track items

were old photos and mementos that were blown hundreds of miles during a series of tornadoes starting back in 2011. >> there is a storm tracker. it is amazing. the people that drive right in there following them to help us. >> christina, you stay right here safe in the house. >> it is pretty exciting but to look from afar in any sort of advanced warning we can give is always a good thing. good morning. 71 degrees. bayside, 68, not the coast. 69 degrees. it is going to be really nice today. temperatures tumble tomorrow. we bring in rain and maybe even a thunderstorm. we are going to talk about that coming up. 5:54. first, want to check your drive. good morning. >> cash lanes continue to build at the bay bridge toll plaza. pretty standard affair. the fast-track, a good advantage. carpooling better than both of those options. we are looking at a smooth drive. 880 past the coliseum.

southbound with the head lights. good flow in both directions. in the area of downtown as well past the coliseum. we have an issue as far as the build. we also have the hayward loop. there was that change starting friday night. to college football now where former secretary of state, condoleezza rice has a new nickname, the cleanup hitter. when the cardinal football team needs to close a deal with the prospect, they bring in condoleezza rice. she relates well with families and she is specially well in luring recruits away from notre dame. she was working for the back in the 1980s. she loves the sport. >> as they say, all is fair in war and recruiting. today is the selection for the college women's basketball tournament.

>> cal and stanford expected to be replaced in the 6 and 4 team bracket. >> the guys found out their fate yesterday. the cal bears earning the 12th seat in the east facing unlv this thursday, close to home at the hp paf yil vvilion. they lost by a single point in december. cheers and hoping for a better route this time around. they will play middle tennessee state tomorrow. winner gives the 11th seed in the midwest and will play on thursday. >> one team also missed selection day, at least watching it, because they were stuck in traffic. the st. louis millikins were heading to the report. they got snarled up in all the traffic. the bus had to pull off at a best buy. they convinced the store manager to turn the selectsion show in

their home theater section. you can see them there in their comfortable seats. they earned the number four seed in the midwest region. this he play at the hp pavilion this thursday. not sure if they picked up electronics, head phones. >> 5:57 right now. still ahead. city of oakland comes up with a new plan to fight crime. how it plans to do much more with much less. right now, we'll give you a live look outside. that is the bay bridge for you. looks like traffic pretty smooth for a monday following a holiday. st. patrick's day. we will keep you posted. "today in the bay" returns in a matter of minutes.

why a south bay store that spawned a state-wide chain might be ripped down. sunshine and 70s for today. we have rain on the way, quite a bit of it. we will let you know when the worst part of the storm system is slated to hit your household. >> both of those are kicking in right now. right now, a live look from the south bay. spanning over a good day today. christina loren, it is going to be nice before the rain starts pouring on us. day one, this monday, march 18th. this is "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." good monday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia cannon. >> i'm jon kelley. we begin with two families in the north bay simply struggling to come to grips with a tragic accident that happened on a racetrack in sacramento.

a 14-year-old boy killed when his cousin, a 17-year-old racetrack driver crashed his car into the pit. marla tallez is in the newsroom with that story. we are hearing these two young men were extremely close. >> both of the boys are from the north bay. the family is saying, the 14-year-old absolutely idolized his cousin, chase johnson. the memorial is growing in santa rosa outside the muffler shop his family owns. he was watching chase warm up before a scheduled race for the spring car championship in mayor reeceville. investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the crash. at one point, the 17-year-old driver lost control. it is not known how fast he was going. his car flew more than 100 feet slamming directly into the pit crew. marcus was pronounced dead shortly after. a 68-year-old man was also killed. without an official cause, experts can only mike an educated guess as to what happened. >> in our world of nascar racing, there is a lot